The Kindergarten of Good and Evil
by jisaly
Summary: Salazar Slytherin has something to present for Show and Tell...
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: As it is highly unlikely that tenth or eleventh-century Britain had established kindergartens, the setting of this story takes place during a more modern time period of developed child care. If you're wondering how modern, then let's just say Salazar Slytherin will be discovering a new, apple green iPod in future chapters.

**The Kindergarten of Good and Evil**

It was spring. Flowers were blooming, birds were chirping, and in a cozy little schoolroom in Britain, a very special kindergarten class was sitting down for snack time and Show-and-Tell.

Scanning the room for volunteers, the young Miss Blanche noticed a most unusual upraised hand and delightedly surprised, she asked "Salazar! Would you like to be first for Show-and-Tell today?"

"Yes, Miss Blanche, that's what I would like very much," answered the precocious six-year-old named Salazar Slytherin. His bottle-green eyes brightened as he set his sight on a particularly irritating rival.

"And I would especially like to have Godric help me present," Salazar added eagerly. "But only if he wants to."

Across the room, golden-haired Godric Gryffindor gaped in disbelief and then grew wary. His instincts were blaring to him that slimy Salazar was up to no good. Quickly, he turned toward Miss Blanche with wide, imploring eyes.

She smiled at him warmly, but remained completely ignorant of what he was asking for, so Godric slowly stood and trudged forward. Salazar motioned for him to follow into the cubby room, explaining that his presentation was still in his bag.

"I don't trust you, Slytherin," Godric growled as soon as they were out of Miss Blanche's hearing range. "Never will either."

Smirking, Salazar shook a finger at the other boy. "Remember what Miss Blanche said about how we should all be friends. You really should listen to her Godric. After all, you stare at her _a lot_ during class."

His face turning ruddy crimson, Godric stuttered, "I...I just – I do not!" Furiously blushing in the cheeks, Godric changed the subject and snapped at Salazar to hurry up.

With his back toward Godric, Salazar began unzipping his green and silver backpack. That was when the hissing started.

"What are you doing, you weirdo?" Godric demanded.

Salazar ignored him and kept on rasping out the strange, harsh sounds.

"What in Merlin's beard?" Godric wondered and then stared as a snake meandered out of the bag.

"You see, snakes like me," Salazar said casually, extending his arm so the snake could slither up. "They understand me. They do what I tell them to do."

He grinned smugly at Godric.

"The question is: do snakes like you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**The Kindergarten of Good and Evil**

For a boy so young, Godric possessed a great amount of admirable courage and had developed solutions for many of life's common terrors. Spiders, he could squash and since he loved to fly high on broomsticks, he had no fear of heights. And girls with cooties? Well, he could always run away from them. However, if there was one dread that still daunted him, then it was snakes. Godric did not like snakes. Because he did not like snakes, a phrase happened to pop out of his mouth as it was a saying that his father regularly used in difficult situations.

"Oh bloody hell."

With small clenched fists, Godric backed away slowly from the advancing reptile whose fathomless obsidian eyes were focused on what it recognized as vulnerable prey. Godric gulped. His foot had hit the wall, which meant that he was cornered and that the snake would soon be at his foot, wrapping its body around his leg, crawling its way up and up to his face.

Watching the whole scene with undisguised glee was Salazar who had produced a plastic bag of caramel popcorn to chew down while enjoying the despair of his enemy.

"Ahem."

The dainty, yet stern sound turned Salazar's and Godric's attention toward the doorway where an oddly prim-looking girl with a sleek black ponytail was standing. She tapped her foot.

"I advise that you two quit dawdling as you are already tardy and there are others more adequate that could be presenting," the girl told them icily.

"But – but there's a snake and it's hii-isssing at me!" Godric stammered, pointing at the creature that stirred such horror in him. He paused. "What does dawdling mean?"

With a raised eyebrow, the girl extracted a tiny wand, only six inches long, out of her pocket and aiming the tip at the snake, she murmured a word. Instantly, the snake shriveled up into a solid emerald cube. On one of the cube's faces could still be seen the snake's eyes, blinking in confusion.

"No!" yelled Salazar in anger. "You – "

"Are really nice!" Godric cried happily. "You saved me from that snake! Thank you so, so, so much!"

In his joy, he rushed to hug his savior, but the girl waved him away with her wand. "Please don't touch me. Boys have bacteria."

She exited the cubby room with a flourish and the two boys followed, Salazar looking very downtrodden with his cube of a snake.

As they re-entered the schoolroom, Miss Blanche bestowed a beaming look of praise on the girl and said, "Thank you Rowena for fetching the boys. Now, Salazar, are you ready to present?"

Throwing Rowena a glower, Salazar glumly held up his cubed-shaped snake to show the class and the rest of the afternoon was pleasantly spent as the kindergarten went through Show-and-Tell. In the dangerously imaginative mind of Salazar though, a plan was being hatched to deliver vengeance at Rowena Ravenclaw.


End file.
